126345.fb2 Scorched Earth - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 61

Scorched Earth - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 61

"We are not speaking the same language," Colonel Rushenko said, deciding that it would be impossible to pry secrets from these two.

The copilot came back to announce that they were nearing their destination. "Leninsk is but twenty minutes away," he said in English because Remo had insisted all conversation take place in English so there would be no misunderstanding.

It had been like this since they had taken Colonel Rushenko to the Sheremetevo II Airport, woke him up and told him to use whatever pull he had to get them to Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Colonel Rushenko was so pleased to find himself still among the living that he complied by whistling up a Yak-90 by telephone. This was the third leg of their trek, and at every refueling stop the Shield colonel seemed to have ready agents willing to do his bidding.

They tightened their seat belts, which were simple hemp ropes.

Once again Colonel Rushenko apologized for this embarrassment but such was the state of post-Soviet Russia, or as he called it, "this regrettable interlude."

Below, the snow-dusted steppes of central Asia rose up to meet them and Colonel Rushenko once again waxed expansive. "I will give you a good example of disinformation. The copilot has told you we are approaching Leninsk."

"Yeah?" said Remo.

"But Leninsk is three hundred kilometers from Baikonur."

A slim nail touched Colonel Rushenko's carotid artery.

"Choose your next words with care," Chiun warned.

The colonel instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He found his voice after two swallows. "You misunderstand. This is no trap. I am merely making a point."

"Make it," suggested Remo.

"When Gagarin became the first man in space, TASS informed the world of the proud fact that he was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. This is what credulous Western media picked up. Ever since, the West has referred to the launch point as Baikonur Cosmodrome, but it is not in Baikonur at all, but near Leninsk, another place entirely."

"So?"

"This was never corrected. Which proves the West are a pack of fools."

"Spoken like a man clinging to a broken fantasy," said Remo.

"The Soviet Union will rise again."

"Not if a good czar rises first," said Chiun.

The Yak dropped lower, its engines straining. Remo took a second glance at the slipknot snugged against his midriff. In the flat distance, the most prominent landmark of Baikonur Cosmodrome showed-a gantry complex of squat, girdered towers. Support buildings ranging from broad hangars to white monoliths of blank sheet metal were arrayed around the gantry area. There were two runways-one very long and the other seemingly endless.

"Do you know that I am a Kazakh?" Rushenko asked Chiun as the noisy engine straining made the cabin rattle alarmingly.

"It is written on your brutish face."

"Thank you. Kazakhs belong to the same ethnic family as Turk and Mongols and Koreans. There may be some of your blood in my veins."

"I may search for it after I have slain you," said Chiun in a thin voice.

Colonel Rushenko shut up. He grabbed for his armrests. One broke off in his hand. He hid it under his seat in shame.

The plane was lifting on one wing as it banked into a steep approach turn for the extremely long Cosmodrome runway.

"We will be using the same runway the Buran uses," Rushenko said expansively. "For our shuttles land at the same place they are launched from-a feat the West is incapable of."

"At least our shuttles carry live people," said Remo.

"Which is unnecessary, for robots are capable of most shuttle operations."

A moment later, Rushenko's eyes were drawn to the western horizon.

"Look. A sun dog!"

Remo and Chiun jerked their heads to their respective windows, Chiun taking care to touch Colonel Rushenko's throat with a deadly fingernail in case this was some Russian trick.

In the high sky, a hot ball of yellow light burned.

"I do not recognize this," said Chiun.

Rushenko said, "It is what is called a sun dog. A reflection of the solar orb upon ice crystals high in the atmosphere. I have never seen one like this, however."

A column of intolerably incandescent light sizzled past their ship a second later. It struck the ground with a dull boom.

Buffeted by a blast of heat, the Yak actually turned over once. Only their seat belts kept them from bouncing off the ceiling.

The ship righted itself with agonizing slowness, then came level. The engines found their normal pitch after an uncertain blooping.

"What has happened?" muttered Rushenko, holding his throat.

"Looked like a big beam of light," said Remo.

"The breath of the sun dragon," said Chiun, his wrinkled face touching the window to peer below.

"You mean sun dog," said Colonel Rushenko.

"He means sun dragon. And don't ask."

"Proklyatye!" Colonel Rushenko exploded. "Look!"

Below, there was a round, smoking hole where a long blue hangar building had stood a moment before. Remo had been looking at the building before the sun dog appeared. Now it was thoroughly obliterated.

Smoke rose from the black patch, but not much. It was as if whatever had burned down from the daylight sky had so scorched the earth that there was almost no natural fuel left to give off smoke.

"I am without words," Colonel Rushenko said thickly.

"What was it?" asked Remo.

"Mother Russia has been attacked."

"This is Kazakhstan," Chiun reminded him.